Mount Vernon Arsenal-Searcy Hospital Complex · Photo: E. W. Russell, Photographer · Public domainFEMA puts Mount Vernon’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Vernon gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (67%), then river and rain flooding (28%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1979.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Mount Vernon faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Mount Vernon’s grade
Hurricanes are 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mount Vernon, and Mount Vernon’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 2%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Mount Vernon’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1,000K a year in losses across Mount Vernon: $876K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mount Vernon flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mount Vernon, from FEMA’s records: 5.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Mount Vernon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Mobile County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mount Vernon
Disasters that paid out in Mount Vernon itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Mount Vernon), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes63 households applied for aid$89K aid approved
- 2020Hurricane Zeta271 households applied for aid$441K aid approved$399K to the Town of Mount Vernon for repairs
- 2020Hurricane Sally309 households applied for aid$509K aid approved$7K to the Town of Mount Vernon for repairs
- 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding108 households applied for aid$102K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina924 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved$18K to the Town of Mount Vernon for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Dennis92 households applied for aid$30K aid approved$3K to the Town of Mount Vernon for repairs
Show all 8
- 2004Hurricane Ivan819 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved$20K to the Town of Mount Vernon for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding331 households applied for aid$478K aid approved
Mobile County has had 32 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.
Old photos of Mount Vernon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mount Vernon archive →Mount Vernon and its neighbors
Mount Vernon has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Vernon | Dmore damage than 90% | hurricanes | 3 |
| Calvert | — | 83 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Mount Vernon faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Mount Vernon
Is Mount Vernon at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Vernon has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (67%) and river and rain flooding (28%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Mount Vernon flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Mount Vernon since 1979, $5K in all, or 5.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Mount Vernon in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Mobile County, 45% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Mount Vernon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mount Vernon’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Mount Vernon?
By FEMA money that reached Mount Vernon, Hurricane Ivan (2004): 819 households applied for aid, $1.3M approved, and $20K to the Town of Mount Vernon for repairs.
Is Mount Vernon at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Mount Vernon’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mount Vernon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mount Vernon’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.